News | 24 May 2023

Saúl Luciano Lliuya against RWE: expert opinion expected in summer

Schild mit der Aufschrift "Ruta de Evacuación" vor einem reißenden Bach

More than 50,000 inhabitants of the Andean city of Huaraz are threatened by a flood wave due to global warming. The Andean farmer and mountain guide Saúl Luciano Lliuya decided to take action: On 24 November 2015, he filed a lawsuit against the energy company RWE in a German civil court. One year after the court visit to Huaraz, the expert report will finally be available this summer. A hearing at the Higher Regional Court of Hamm is expected later this year.

News | 19 May 2023

To ensure energy and food security, Scholz must stop pushing gas at G7

Christoph Bals, Policy Director at Germanwatch, about the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima
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In the lead up to this weekend’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Germany has been exposed for joining Japan in pushing fellow G7 members to backslide on previous commitments and endorse increased public investments in gas. Contrary to what Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz says, different studies show that new investments in gas are not necessary to increase energy security but only exacerbate the climate crisis and threaten food security. Chancellor Scholz risks undermining a successful G7 Summit regarding climate for the second year.

Acceleration of the Energy Transition in Indonesia

09.05.2023
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Achieving an equitable transition through the Just Energy Transition Partnership and other Financing Strategies

To take advantage of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and other financing opportunities, Indonesia must identify key requirements to create the right environment for cooperation without violating existing principles. Our background paper provides a brief overview of the state of the energy transition plan and financing in Indonesia.

Setting the Tone for Social Aspects of the Just Energy Transition

09.05.2023
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Based on the Intergroup Dialogue Series on Just Energy Transition

In a series of dialogues with Indonesian civil society organisations (CSOs), Germanwatch and the Habibie Center explored how to integrate social justice aspects into the energy transition debate in Indonesia. This policy brief provides the context for how Indonesian CSOs view the JETP and how they relate to other key socio-economic issues.

News | 21 April 2023

Open letter: The future of the Stability and Growth Pact

Title page of the open letter

In the EU, reform of the Stability and Growth Pact is on the agenda. German and French civil society organisations therefore call in their joint letter to the German Federal Minister of Finance and his French counterpart for the relaxation of the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact in combination with the establishment of a new EU climate and biodiversity fund. Investments in the green and just transition are essential to ensure the resilience, prosperity, and social justice of our economies and societies.

News | 17 April 2023

Joint Statement: Why adopting the Social Climate Fund is the right choice for the EU

Blick in den Plenarsaal des EU-Parlaments in Strasbourg

On April 18, the European Parliament will vote on the reform of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the new Social Climate Fund (SCF). European NGOs, including Germanwatch, have published a joint statement emphasising the importance of the new fund to ensure social justice. However, Germanwatch and the other signatories call for a substantial increase in funding to ensure that European climate action is fair and just.

Reform of the international financial architecture

06.04.2023
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A primer

The emerging polycrisis is challenging governments and institutions around the world. Especially countries in the Global South lack the financial capacity to address the current challenges and simultaneously prepare their nations for the impacts of climate change. The existing international financial architecture has so far been unable to provide the necessary financial resources.There are three major reform proposals that address different institutions within the international financial architecture. This primer introduces the proposals presented and provides an overview of the main institutions and actors involved in the process in Germany.

Downstream due diligence

13.03.2023
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A must-have for the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

The debate on downstream due diligence has never been more topical: The EU currently discusses the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. However, both the Council and various parliamentary groups want to limit the scope of the value chain to which environmental and human rights due diligence obligations should apply. Among other things, the downstream value chain would then be (largely) exempted from corporate due diligence obligations. In this short policy brief, published along with Initiative Lieferkettengesetz, SOMO, SwedWatch, and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung we demonstrate why downstream due diligence is necessary and how it can be implemented. We also provide key recommendations for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

Downstream due diligence in the European mining equipment industry

03.03.2023
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Status quo and the way to go

European mining equipment manufacturers are cooperating with and supplying mining projects that are known for human rights abuses and environmental destruction. The lack of legislation requiring companies to address severe human rights and environmental risks in their downstream value chain makes this possible. This study highlights the need for downstream due diligence obligations in the mining equipment sector.

The Andina copper mine in Chile

03.03.2023
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Due diligence in downstream value chains

This case study of the Andina copper mine in Chile shows how European mining equipment manufacturers maintain close business relationships with the mine, despite the mining activities damaging the surrounding glaciers, massively increasing the water scarcity in the region and local protests against the expansion of the mine. We provide an example of how downstream due diligence obligations of European companies could have been exercised in this case. This is particularly relevant in this sector, where the business relationships between mining equipment manufacturers and their customers involve significant human rights and environmental risks.